1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 35-W, W-5130. Rarity-7. Deer Head, 1787/1887. Fine-12 (PCGS).
136.8 grains. 31.0 mm. Reverse aligned slightly clockwise of proper coin turn. Since the finest known example from these dies sold in the 1904 John G. Mills sale, collectors have had just two subsequent opportunities to acquire this Maris number at auction. Both have occurred in our sales: the 2003 Ford sale and the 2013 Craige sale. In the century after Frederick Canfield acquired the Mills coin (later he donated it to the New Jersey Historical Society), collectors either had to cherrypick a Maris 35-W or acquire one privately. Boyd bought one from the Brand holdings; it later sold in the Ford sale and today resides in the Anton Collection as the finest in private hands. After that there are just four examples graded Fine, among them the present coin, and one smooth but well worn VG to round out a small census of just seven known examples. This piece is sharp, little worn though the central obverse failure endemic to this variety has stolen the detail from the sprigs and the bottom half of the horsehead. Both sides are nearly ideally centered, and denticles frame the entire obverse but for a short arc at the upper right. The surfaces are evenly granular on both sides, toned an even dark steel. The reverse, struck from a die that is only known from this die marriage, is well struck and well detailed, with good internal definition of the shield everywhere but absolute center. No heavy marks or other damage is noted. The date is weak. With precious few examples available, and the track record of this variety to not appear at auction for long periods of time, this offering is one of the signal highlights of this sale for advanced New Jersey specialists.
PCGS# 902517.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Henry Garrett; Roger Siboni, November 2006.